Automatic railroad-switch.



J. MARTIN.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.30. I916.

Patented Man. 12, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I. MARTIN.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5r A v 1 STA r1 JOHN mm, 01 COL'ION, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF TO JAMES HEATLY,

OF COLTON, GALIFO :1

AUTOMATIC DAD-SWITCH. v

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ar. 12, 1918.

Application filed August so, 1916. Serial No. 117,725.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colton, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad- Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railway switch and particularly ertains to an automatically operated switch for use with' either steam or electric cars. I

It is an object of this invention to provide a railway switch which may be electrically operated by a moving train and which will automatically open a switch and thereafter close it, said operation being controlled trom the cab of the engine.

Another object of this invention is to provide simple and positively operating means for closing the electric switch operating circuits and insuring that they cannot be closed or opened except when a train is passing over the track adjacent the switch.

Another object is to provide a switch operating mechanism which is adapted to be moved to actuate the switch manually when so desired and which may be locked in an inoperative position so as to permit the electricall operated mechanism to open and close t e switch without difiiculty.

Another object is to provide means whereby a semaphore may be actuated simultaneously with the switch movement and will indicate visually the open or closed position of the switch- It is a further object to provide a mechanism of the above class which may be easily applied for use upon railroad right-of-ways without great expense and which may be maintained without an elaborate equipment or an extraordinary amount of care.

Other objectswill appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings 1n which: I

Figure 1 is a view in diagram illustrating a section of railway track and a switch connected therewith, as seen in plan, and further illustrating'in a diagrammatical manner the arrangement of the various electric circuits and their relation to the switch and its actuating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan illustrating a main line track upon which a locomotive is shown as traveling, and further illustrating the control arm fixed to the cab, and the trip mechanism actuated thereby.

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing the switch actuating trip mechanism in section and further illustrating in dotted lines the relation of the engaging arm, mounted upon a locomotive, to said trip mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a view. in vertical transverse section as seen through the switch'actuating mechanism and the rails and switch efiected thereby.

Fig. 5 is a view in plan and illustrates the disposition of the switch mechanism in relationto the'track.

Fig. 6 is a view in section and elevation taken along the side of the primary actuatmechanism. I

referring to the drawings more articularly, 10 and 11 indicate parallel ralls of a main line railway track and 12 and 13 indicate the parallel rails of a side track which connect with. the main track. I The movement of a car from the main track to the side track is controlled b a customary switch which is composed o a straight rail substructure 18 and is formed with gear teeth 19 around its pivotal center. These teeth are disposed to engage the teeth of a horizontally sliding gear rack 20 which rests upon the structure 18 and is formed with an extension 21 which extends beneath the rails 10 and 11 and upon which the switch rails 14 and 15 are mounted and adapted to be actuated to open and close the passage of a car to the side track.

The switch arm 17 allows the switch to be manually operated when desired. It is, however, the principal object of this invention to provide mechanical means for actuating the rack and its extension 21. This is accomplished by a lever arm 22 which is pivotally mounted upon the substructure 18 and is actuated by a switch shifting electromagnet 23. The magnet is switch blade 26 is in contact with the contact point 25 the magnet 23 will be energized to draw the arm 22 in the direction of the arrow a against the opposition of a recoil spring 32 which normally holds the straight rail section 14 in alinement with the rail 10 and the curved rail section 15 out of contact with the rail 11.

The switch blade 26 is adapted to be housed within a vertical housing 33 which is rigidly secured at the side of the main track rail 10. This housing is provided with vertically disposed bearings 34 and 35 through which plunger rods 36 and 37 are.

fitted, respectively. The plunger rod 36 is in connection with the contact blade 26 and is held in its uppermost position by a spring 38 which bears between the bearing 34 and a collar 39. The plunger 37 is mounted with in the bearing 35 in superimposed relation to the plunger 36 and is adapted to be brought into engagement with the end of plunger 36 by means of a crank arm 40 which is pivoted for vertical movement and which, when moved, will cause downward movement of plungers 37 and 36 toproduce electrical contacts between contact members 25 and 26. The arm 40 is formed with a horizontally extending shaft 41. which extends outwardly through the housing toward the track and is fitted with a tripping arm 42 which is adapted to be engaged by an actuating lever 43. The lever 43 is pivoted to swing horizontally from a suitable point upon the locomotive 44 and its movement is controlled by the engineer. The trip lever 42 is formed with a lever arm 45 which a counterweight 46 is secured'upon, The counterweight is provided to maintain the lever 42 in a normal position, as indi cated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and 'is adapted to rest upon a lug 47 formed on the side of the housing 33. f

In. order to insure that theswitch may be locked during the passage ofthe train along the track, an auxihary electric circuit is pro vided which is operated by the weight of a car passing along the rail, and will, when operated, release a locking device which acts to temporarily lock the switch rail members in a closed position. This mechanism iscomposed of a vertically movable rail section 48 which is supported upon cross-ties 49 and 50,- This sectlon is a portion of the main-1i i140 and due to the distance becro's's-ties 49 and 50 will be dedownwardly direction as indihas been broken.

arrow :-b in Fig. 6. The

memes downward movement of this portion of the rail causes the upper contact member 51 to i be depressed and to form a contact with a lower contact member 52. 'The member 51 is electrically connected by a conductor 53 to the source of electrical energy 29, the coning arm 57 is formed with a notch 58 along its upper edge and this is adapted to be engaged by a locking pin 59 which is suitably secured to a semaphore standard 60 adapted to be rotated by a link 61 secured to the rack-bar 20. The lockin arm 57 is provided with a counterweig t 62 which will hold the notch 58 in engagement with the pin 59 when the switch is closed. .The counter-weight is mounted upon an up wardly extending portion of the locking arm 57, it being so disposed in relation to the arm and the magnets 55 and 68 as to swing each way over the pivotal center of the arm and hold the arm in its uppermost and lowermost positions. This insures that when the arm "is momentarily actuated by either 5 68. Theopposite pole of the magnet an the source of electrical supply are grounded to complete the circuit. The magnet 68 is in an opposed position to the magnet 55 and, when given a magnetic impulse, will act upon the lever arm 56 to draw the locking arm 57 downwardly and prevent the engagement of the slot 58 with the pin 59. The counterweight arm 62 will retain the arm 57 in its lowermost position after the circuit The movement of. the locking arm 57 to disengage the pin 59 permits the recoil spring 32 to draw the switch members in a.position indicated by the arrow 0 and automatically restores .the switch rail 14 to form a continuous main-line rightof-way.

The manner in which the switch is a11t0- matically opened and closed by a passing train is as follows:

The engineer, when desiring to enter the switch, swings theactuating lever 43 outwardly from the cab of the engine, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. As the train approaches the switch, it will pass over 189 meaaae the rail section 48 and complete an electric circuit through the contacts 51 and 52, the conductors 53 and 54, the electromagnet 55, and the battery 29. This, as has been described, will cause the locking lever 57 to be swung upwardly ready to lock the switch when it is moved to a closed position. The lever will be held in this position by a counter-weight which has been swung rearwardly and cfi center and will yieldably support the lever so that the lock pin may ,swing into the notch thereupon, thus locking the switch against rotation until/\the lever and its weight are again swung by the magnet 68 and then released. As the engine approaches the switch, it will pass the trip-lever 42 and the actuating lever 43 will strike it and force it downwardly in the direction of arrow din Fig.3 of the drawings. As the lever 42 swings downwardly, it will cause a downward vertical movement of plunger rods 36 and 37 and these in turn will ring contact 26 into engagement with contact 25 to complete an electrical circuit through conductors 27 and 28 to the battery 29 and through the conductor 24 to one side of the electromagnet 23, the op osite poles of the magnet and battery eing grounded to complete the circuit. The electromagnet 23 now being energized, will draw the switch arm 22 and this will act to dra w. the rack-bar 20 and the switch rails 14 and 15, which are mounted upon the extension 21 of said bar. This movement will causethe curved rail 15 to form a continuous rail from the main-line rail 11 and will draw the rail 14 away from the main-line rail 10 to open the switch. After the train has passed through the switch and has drawn near the other end of the siding, the rail section 63 will be encountered and will be depressed to complete the circuit through of-way.

It will thus beseen that the switch here provided will act automatically, upon the approach of a train, to open a,- side-track,

- and will positively insure that the switch osition after the erethrough.

is restored to itsclosed movement of the train I claim: 1. In an automatic railway switch, the combination with a main. line track, a side track, and switch members adapted to be controlled from a moving train whergy said switch moving mechanism is actua means automatically and indirectly operated by the weight of thetrain whereby said switch moving mechanism will be locked as a train moves along the switch members, and other means indlrectly operated by the weight of the train whereby the moving mechanism will be released to allow the return of theswitch to its normal position.

2. In an automatic railway switch, the combination with a main line track, a side track, and switch members adapted to be moved to establish and discontinue communication betweenthe main line track and the side track, of switch operating mechanism comprising an electrically actuated switch control, optionally actuated means positioned upon a moving train whereby said switch control may be actuated, means indirectly operated by the weight of an approaching train whereby the switch control will be rendered inoperative during the passage of a train along the switch members, positivel operated means for controlling sald switc control, and means operated by the weight of the train after it has passed the switch to release the locking mechanism and permit the switch to return to its normal posltion.

3.. A switch operating mechanism, comprising an electrically controlled and actuated switch moving mechanism, means controlled from a movin train whereby said switch moving mechamsm is actuated, means automatically and indirectly operated by the weight of the train whereby said switch moving mechanism will be locked as a train moves along the switch members, and other means indirectly operated by the weight of the train'whereby the moving mechanism will 'be released to allow the return of the switch to its normal position.

4. A switch operating mechanism, com-' prising an electrically actuated switch control, optionally actuated means positioned upon a moving train whereby said switch control may be actuated, means indirectly operated by the weight of an approaching train whereby, the switch control will be rendered inoperative during the passage of a train along the switch members, positively operated means for controlling said switc control, and means operated by the weight of the train after it has passed the switch to release said switch control mechanism and permit the switch to return to its normal position.

5. In an automatic railway switch, the

combination with a main-line trackand a side-track, of switch members adapted to be moved to establish and discontinue communication between the main-line and the sidetrack, manually and automatically controlled switch moving means, an o tionally controlled trip member positione upon the side of a car passing along the track, trip means engageable by said member whereb the releasing the switch lock, other electric switch will be automatically closed, an eleccontact means for actuating said releasing 10 trically operated switch lock for temporarily means, and a spring by which the switch holding the switch in its closed position, will be restored to its normal open position electric contact means actuated by the weight after the locking means has been released.

of the train passing along the track whereby In testimony whereof I have signed my said switch lock mechanism will be caused name to this specification.

to operate, electrically operated means for JOHN MARTIN. 

